Is 160 or 180 thermostat better? Any power difference is going to be microscopic and usually is offset by an increase in intake air temp. so a 180 would keep the coolant in the rad longer than a 160 (thus giving it more time to cool off) even if both thermostats are wide open?Jul 27, 2005
Let me try and explain this. The temperature a thermostat is rated at, is the temperature when it first begins to open up. The thermostat is not an all open, or all closed device. The amount of opening depends on the coolant temperature flowing on it's back side. A 160* stat just begins to open at 160*, at 165*, it opens a little more, at 170*, a little wider, at 175*, a little wider, and at 180*, it is open as wide as it can open. Should the temperature drop, the stat will close a bit to boost the temperature. The rate at which the coolant flows through the radiator is pretty constant not varying by much. The rate has more to do with the water pump impeller design. TA Performance has a high flow water pump to move more coolant. http://www.taperformance.com/products.asp?cat=458 A 180 stat does not keep water in the radiator longer than a 160* stat. They just open and close at different temperatures. If you don't believe me, then by all means, install a 195* stat and see what happens.
I have a TA WP, got it with the TC cover I got from them. I don't recall it being high flow or not though. What happens if I put a 195 in it? Just runs hotter I'd assume?
TA sells standard pumps as well. If you put a 195* stat in, it will not run under 195*. The maximum temperature it ends up running will probably not change at all. There is something else wrong. I don't think the thermostat will make any ultimate difference at all since at the temperatures you are running, it is nearly, or fully open.
Sitting in my drive last night after a 20 min drive, idling. It went to 200 degree. If the tstat in it is a 185 should it go 15 more degree?
Commonly available stats are 160, 180, and 195. If you have a 180* stat, it will try to keep the coolant temperature at 180*. As the coolant gets above 180 and beyond, it will open more and more until it is fully open at 200*. That should be enough to bring the temperature down, but it isn't doing so. The radiator is a good one, so the problem lies elsewhere. I would like to know what the timing is just sitting there idling in Park.
Timing is my next stop, yes I know yo have been on me to get that looked at I assumed when I had the TC cover put on and they said it was set to 8 degree that was at an idle.
I never got one as I had that TC and cover put on and they timed it to 8 degree I had not had any heating issues till this weekends boil over. I thought it was fixed, no TL needed.
I have a vac port if you will frwrd of the carb in the intake, it currently goes to the air cleaner, the vac adv thing on the distrib goes to carb.
I want you to move the vacuum advance hose to a manifold source. The air cleaner hose should be manifold vacuum. If you pull the hose with the engine running, you should hear a loud hiss. I want you to connect the vacuum advance to that hissing port. That will tell me two things, 1) If the vacuum advance is working. If it is, the engine idle will speed up. 2), It will advance the timing about 14* to 20*. Let it idle like that and see if the temperature comes down.
I am not aware of another (not that I have went out of my way to look) intake manifold source then the one in front of carb. So you want me to move vac adv to that source and find another intake source for the line from aircleaner?
The air cleaner is not important at all, especially in warm weather. You can leave the air cleaner disconnected and just hook the vacuum advance to the manifold vacuum.
So when the car is running I pull that vac adv hose from the mani source it should hiss, idle should change, if not that adv canister is shot (which I did buy one for the car when all this started)?
I have to assume I need to plug the carb vac source for this test or can I just move the air cleaner to it for this test?
No, pull the hose from the air cleaner from where it is attached. When you do, the open connection should hiss. Pull the vacuum advance hose off the carburetor and hook it to the hissing outlet. AFTER you do that, the idle should increase.
Right now, the vacuum advance is hooked to ported vacuum. It won't hiss because there is no vacuum there at idle. If it makes you feel better, you can just swap the two hoses.
